Bellatrix: The Rising
by BetterThanJKR
Summary: The Dark Lord's defeat left Bellatrix's world shattered and broken, on the run from the retributive Ministry of Magic, she hides where one would least expect it: the Muggle World. From here she plots a revenge so powerful it will shake the Wizarding World to its core.
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

 **January 1982**

These were dark times. Three months had gone by since the Dark Lord had fallen in the most mysterious of circumstances in the hamlet of Godric's Hollow. And in those three months, friends and family had been arrested, their homes raided, their lives destroyed by the retributive and vindictive arm of the Ministry's justice.

Narcissa stood anxiously in the depths of the cellar in Malfoy Manor. Pacing from one end of the cold, stone-floored room to the other, she could feel herself age in the stress of the moment. She had sent Dobby out almost an hour ago. He had still to return.

"Mistress," a small, high pitched voice whispered on the small door, knocking in three specific spots on the ancient door of the hidden entrance. His calloused knuckles barely felt the cold sting of the metal bars along the door. "Dobby is back," he said in just the same tone.

A hooded woman stood behind him. Breathless. There was an air of anxiety around her. It seemed as if she had been running for a while. Even though she stood in the very coldest of months, she was sweating.

"Quiet, you mangy thing," the woman said under her breath. "What's taking Cissy so long?" she said to herself, her eyes darted around, looking back to see if anyone had followed them. The trees were dark and not a soul was in sight.

The door to the cellar at Malfoy Manor opened slowly. It creaked as it slowly sung back to reveal the ashen face of the lady of the house. Narcissa saw the two cloaked figures. Seeing the face before her, Narcissa felt as if she was seeing the ghost from a distant past. Her sister looked horrible. A bloodied face and with mud crusted in her thick hair. She greeted her with a cold smile, her teeth were yellow.

"Bella, you shouldn't have come here-" she said in a hushed tone before being interrupted by the other woman, who unveiled her face.

"Darling, is that what you say to a woman on the run for three months? Where are your values? Won't you be a good host and offer me your hospitality?" she smiled.

Resigned, Narcissa opened the door wider, and stepped back letting in the two of them. "Quickly!" Bellatrix kicked Dobby into the cellar as she strode inside. The cellar in Malfoy Manor had once been a dungeon in less trying times. Now, it had been stripped clean of anything which could connect the noble House Malfoy to the philosophy of the fallen Dark Lord.

Once inside, the blond started: "I hope you were careful enough not to let anyone see you."

Pulling off her cloak from her head, though doubtful, she smiled again, "Darling, Cissy, what do you take me for."

"You don't know what Lucius has had to go through… hearings at the Ministry… intrusions into our home by filthy Aurors…" she wiped a tear. Narcissa looked at Bellatrix straight in the eyes, holding her shoulder, "Please, don't jeopardize us any more than we already are."

The other woman turned around, rather shocked, and amused. "Cissy, I always knew Lucius was a pathetic weakling… but _my own_ sister?" She sounded genuinely insulted, "I would have thought you would be my ally in this hour!" she raised her voice.

"Your husband is a _weasel_. A traitor to the Dark Lord! Bloody bastard! Heard he told the Wizengamot quite the story…" she hissed angrily. When the Daily Prophet had published the details of the Malfoy trial, Bellatrix had been enraged by how easily many of the servants had claimed to be under the influence of _Imperio_. She had felt truly disappointed to see Lucius' face in the photograph, his desperation evident. Bellatrix never had much respect for him but never could she have thought he would descend that low.

"Lucius knows how to pick his battles," Narcissa raised her own voice, though the tone seemed alien to her. Having grown up with Bellatrix, she never felt herself capable of ever reaching those levels of rage. It was simply far too degrading to lose oneself to anger so totally. "Not everyone wants the Dementor's Kiss?"

"Oh that sweet Kiss I'd take any day if I could come one step closer to getting the Dark Lord back!" she shouted. "I'd bloody kill you for saying what you say if you weren't my sister." She kicked Dobby again, hard enough to send him crashing into the wall.

Bellatrix could feel her anger starting to bubble and rise but she held it in, stopping any further outbursts. She did not want to lose control – particularly not tonight. "Cissy," she walked towards her, her tone calm now, "You know, that I know that the Dark Lord lives, for he is ever-living. But I forgive you for wanting the best for your own happiness."

"Bella, let's just drop the matter. Please tell me why you sent that dreadful message in the dead of the night." She had been in the nursery, trying to get young Draco to go to sleep. His sleep had been rather disturbed, ever since the Aurors had started making visits at all odd hours of the day. That night, the shriek of her sister had woken him up. She had lit up the fireplace and screamed the secret word that only the Black Sisters knew of. A word reserved for the direst of circumstances.

She placed her hands on her sister's shoulders. "Cissy I'm in trouble."

Ever since the Dark Lord had fallen in Godric's Hollow, it was known that the Lestranges were one of the few devoted servants who had kept the torch lit bright for the Dark Lord. When the word had spread of the event in that small village, the dangerous trio of the three Lestranges; Bellatrix, Rodulphus, and Rabestan had been quick to vanish. Knowing full well the traitors amongst the ranks of the Death Eaters would be quick to seek immunity from the retribution of a vindictive Ministry.

"The Aurors raided our spot, they followed the trail from the Longbottom's and Rudi and Rabestan are in custody." She grew quiet for a moment. "I barely escaped. Had to kill three of the bloody mudbloods."

Narcissa sighed. "I guessed as much. I don't want to know anything more. Here," she handed over a pouch to her sister, "This will have all that you can need." She hugged her. "You better leave before Lucius finds out."

Bellatrix looked at her sister. Affection had never been her strength but she felt the situation merited something more than a simple thank you. She leaned and kissed her sister on the cheek. "This may be a goodbye but this is not a farewell."

She stepped back out and walked into the thick cover of trees. Uncertain as to what the days ahead held for her.


	2. Chapter One :: March 1988 :: I

**CHAPTER ONE**

 **March 1988**

I

Early morning. It seemed to be turning into another wet and grey day. Bellatrix felt rather glum. It had been a few days since he had moved from her bed. Her ' _little friends'_ had brought her breakfast just like before. Fresh blueberries and a wonderful bowl of homegrown oats. It was a wonder how well the two of them were managing. These mud-bloods had some merit to them after all it seemed. Better in manners than house-elves but with such feeble minds. Perfect, in her opinion.

With the tray now emptied, Bellatrix flicked her hand and summoned the man to her boudoir. When he arrived, no words were exchanged and she simply fell back onto the pillows and turned her back to the door, hearing only his heavy footsteps leave the room, with gentle clinking of the forks and the plates. She dozed off again.

When her eyes reopened it was raining outside. Rubbing her eyes and in between yawns, she called out, "Woman!" she coughed, "Quick!" There was movement outside, the sound of a metal pot clanging as it was dropped in haste. Her door opened ever so slightly and a mousy woman peaked her head into the dark, cold room.

"Yes, Mistress." The voice was weak.

"What day is it?"

"Thursday, the third."

She rose up, with delight obvious on the gaunt face, "Oh thank bloody hell!" she cackled. The depression which had plagued those past few days seemed to have vanished almost immediately on hearing that the day was finally upon them. "Come help me up," she stretched out her hands, "I must head out."

The mousy woman rushed in and held the witch's hands to ease her out of bed; her haunt for the past several days. As she rose, the pops and creaks from the fiery woman's bones was loud in the silence of the room.

"Ah!" Bellatrix sighed with relief as she stretched out her body, standing still by her bedside; her body, creaked and popped as it came out of the self-imposed imprisonment in the bundle of blankets and pillows, that now lay in a mess scattered about the room. "Go fetch an umbrella for me." She was excited. Rain on the full moon was a rare occurrence and today would be perfect. She had been waiting for years for this opportunity. Today, if all things went as planned, she would be complete once again.

From the clock hanging above the window in her room, she knew that it was just past three o'clock in the afternoon, however it seemed much later. It was just one of those days. Bellatrix walked into the kitchen wearing her usual disguise. For as long as she lived in this strange village, she could not dress as she did in that distant time in her own world, so she had to become used to something which the mud-bloods called _jeans_ – a highly uncomfortable garment most unbecoming of a pureblood to be seen in. Nevertheless, she knew the lot she had picked when she walked away from the old world into exile to this one those many years ago.

"Don't you two look like sheer bliss," she said with a smile upon seeing the couple, in whose cottage she had been holed up, sitting at the workbench eating a bowl of cold lentils with what seemed to be stale bread. Hearing her voice, they immediately stopped; the man rose to his feet and the woman kept her head low.

"Come, Darcy," she said with a throaty laugh, "Don't forget your place." Walking over to the mousy woman, Bellatrix pulled her to her feet by her hair, "Oh, shush little one, your tears are worth _nothing_ to me," she moved back from her when she had stood up. "If you ever disrespect me like that again, I will send you straight where I sent your father. Remember how to respect your mistress!"

"Yes, Ma'am." She held back her tears.

"Oh, Darcy, for this she must be punished, no rations for her for a day."

"Yes, Mistress." He was emotionless.

"Now come Darcy, I must head out to the woods." She turned to face the woman, "And _you_ , by the time I return, I expect you to have a nice cauldron of pottage bubbling over that fire."

The woman nodded.

As Bellatrix stepped out into the world beyond the cottage, the crisp cool air hit her face and before she unfurled the umbrella she could taste the rainwater as it landed on her face. She knew she was harsh with the girl, but in all honesty she did not like the way the two of them were sitting together. After all she had done to them, the love that woman had for Darcy just would not fade. Her charms and her hexes had done wonders in destroying that wretched emotion in Darcy. But that wench seemed to be made of harder stuff.

As she walked away, she caught the form of the mousy woman from outside the window, with a flourish of her hand she enchanted the cauldron hanging over the stove. Now, that pottage would burn and she would have another excuse to punish her. Cruel. Just how she liked it.

As they stepped out onto the path which led to the woods, Bellatrix turned around to face Darcy, "You like what I've done with my hair?" she asked when she saw him looking at her.

"Mistress, you always look beautiful."

"Yes, I do. Don't I?" she said very matter of fact.

The two of them walked a good distance in the rain to get to where Bellatrix wanted to go. She had planned the occasion several times over. Knowing exactly where to go to and what to do. All she had been waiting for had been the rains on the day of the full moon.

In the very depths of the woods, where foliage was so dense there was little space between the trees and, as such, very little of the rain broke through. The ground, however, was wet with flowing streams of rainwater, as it followed the now flooded paths. With water up to their ankles, the two of them kept moving forward.

At a certain point, where there was an opening in the forest, there was a tree which stood alone. A large oakwood, ancient and majestic, rose higher than others. Between the dense cover of the forest and this solitary tree, there was a walk of thirty meters where the rain poured hard; with little in way of protection. She handed the umbrella over to Darcy, took off the laced shoes, stepped onto the mud. She felt the sting of a snapped twig breaking under her foot. She kept moving forward.

Her breath was sharp. She felt the excitement of the moment. With ever faster steps, the witch moved closer to this hidden treasure to perform the most arcane magic.

When Bellatrix had been forced to leave behind the old world in the wake of the Dark Lord's vanishing at the hands of the Potter baby, she had fled with little more than her wand and an enchanted pouch which carried her books and papyri. That awful night in 1981, when all the pillars of her world were collapsing around her, and she knew that the Order was about to capture them. She had arrived in the alien world of the muggles; angry, heartbroken, and lost. She had to lay low, hidden from the tyrannical reach of the Ministry for the time being to continue the search for the Dark Lord. Rudolphus and Rabestan – the darlings – had decided to take the fall to let her go on. It was for the greater good.

Just the memory caused tears to well up in her eyes. Bellatrix remembered that night well. A night which had left her shaken.

Having left Malfoy Manor with a pocket full of Floo Powder, she and Dobby had broken into one of the cottages in the village nearby. A simple-minded muggle family. A quick flash of _Avada Kedavra_ resolved that problem.

When she emerged from a fireplace on the other end, Bellatrix found herself in a large, dark room. A deserted factory. There were cartons of various mechanical cogs and gizmos, which she had the greatest sense of revulsion from. The place reeked of Muggle arrogance. She lit her wand with a quiet " _Lumos_ ".

The moment she had done so, in the distance she heard the unmistakable pop of an apparition. Three Aurors had emerged. At that very moment, she knew the Ministry had placed a trace on her wand. Thinking quick, Bellatrix had shot out blistering attacks on the hapless Aurors. With a primal hate, she found her hand flinging large fireballs in the air and her wand shot a straight stream of intense red light. Surprised by the ferocity of the attack, within a few seconds the three would-be heroes lay dead where they had stood moments ago.

She stood there seething with anger. Almost breathless. Tears streaming down her face. Even in that moment, Bellatrix knew what had to be done. She looked down at her wand; clenched tightly in her hand. Without any ceremony, she snapped the wand in half. As she did so, she almost felt herself snap in half as well. A deep, sharp pain tore through her body. It was as if she had torn off her limbs. She shrieked. "Ah!" her voice rang out across the vast emptiness of that deserted factory.

She had the two pieces of that once powerful wand in front of her. Almost cradling them, as a mother would her baby.

Crack. Pop.

She had looked up. More Aurors.

With a quick flourish of her hand, she disapparited out of that building. As far away from it as she could in that emotional state. The only trace of her: two broken pieces of wood.

That afternoon, the tears had been replaced by the clear waters of a full moon's rain. Her emotions were in control. Though her heart was beating faster than it had in years.

Anticipating the occasion, Bellatrix had enchanted the immediate vicinity of the Oakwood to repel any intruder. She would not be disturbed.

Chained by his leg and stuck to a hook in the ground, a young man tried to launch himself at her. But she raised her palm and the hapless fellow sank back down. He looked up at her and tried to scream some obscenity but before he could, Bellatrix, with another flourish, sealed his lips shut.

"Shush, darling, it'll all be over soon."

She walked over to the tree. A number of branches were lying at her feet. Some long, some short. Some straight, others bent. She picked up a few before making her choice. "Hmm." She was unsure. It was rather an unconventional piece but this particular branch was the sturdiest of the bunch. A heavy base and a crooked tip. It looked almost like a weapon. Much more representative of her than the old one. But she made up her mind quickly, as was always the case.

"So Darling," she turned around to look at the angry and terrified teen boy, "I'm sorry for the past few days. But really, that's what you get for trusting strange women you meet on the road." She walked over to him and sat down next to him. She kissed his forehead. "Now let the fun begin," she flashed a toothy grin.

In a loud clear voice, Bellatrix started chanting the ancient spell. Committed to memory, she spoke with every bit the confidence one could expect from a witch of her skill.

" _Merlinus incantatem sacrenus treatem._

 _Aeus merei filite! Saroson kei canitem!"_

Those ancient words had not been spoken for eons but their power resonated through that ancient place. The earth seemed to shudder and the tree seemed to grown under the weight of the magic unleashed once again around it. She continued on, now with words of her own making.

" _Awake from thy slumber_

 _Ancient oakwood of Merlin_

 _Thy secrets be discovered by another_!

 _Unveil the layer laid by that curtain_

 _Aid me now, in my hour of need_

 _I stand before thee_

 _The truest follower of the magical creed._ "

The tree rumbled once more. Bellatrix continued without giving it regard. She raised her arms up and held the chosen piece of wood high above her head.

" _Let this ancient wood bear witness,_

 _To this magic, most powerful and pure,_

 _Grant me a wand most vicious_

 _Ancestor to all wands!_

 _Guide my hand in this hour_

 _Reveal thy arcane knowledge to me_!"

There was silence. The rain continued all around them. The youth looked at the crazed woman before him with terror in his eyes. Her gaze remained transfixed on the horizon. The line where the tree tops met the sky. A tiny white sliver started to appear from the leaves above them. Slowly growing in intensity and surrounding the entirety of the tree, seeming almost like a canopy around the dark mass of the large tree.

Quickly, Bellatrix rose to her feet and sliced the chosen piece of wood in half, ever so careful so as to not rip the magic. She plucked out one of the white shimmering threads from the ancient tree and placed it with care in the middle. Bringing the youth towards her, she slit his wrist and collected his blood in his hands. He tried to scream but her magic had robbed him of his voice. Continuing her incantations, _Merlinus incantatem sacrenus treatem. Aeus merei filite. Saroson kei canitem_ , she started to seal the piece of wood. It started to glow at the tip as she rubbed the blood from her hands onto the wood. Once the incantation was complete. She rose her hand, pointing the wand at the youth.

"Rise!" she commanded him. She unsealed his lips. "Tell me your name, Muggle!"

The poor boy was shaken. He had wet himself. He tried to speak but no voice came out.

Bellatrix cackled. " _Avada Kedavra_!" A thick green flash zoomed out of her newly created wand. It shot out with brute force. A force which even she herself was unprepared for. The youth's body was eviscerated by the sheer strength of the curse. Bellatrix, herself, was flung back onto the ground with the force of the magic. She banged her head on the ground. It all went black.

When she came to, with a head sore from that nasty tumble, for a moment she felt as if she had dreamt the whole thing. But as her eyes opened and she looked around to see the dark forest around her and the large Oakwood looming large above her, she rose up and felt the sharp prick of that wand in her hand. She cried with joy. She finally had a wand again. But rather quickly, she remembered the force with which it had shot out that curse.

She had killed many people; sometimes with rage, other times simply for pleasure. Her old wand had never done that. Even the Dark Lord's wand, she felt guilty even thinking this, could not do that. She almost threw the wand away. But her hand held on.

Collecting herself, Bellatrix stood up, fixed her hair and started walking away from the tree. Once a safe distance away from that ancient oak, she turned her gaze firmly on the tree. She could see the spot where the youth's mangled body was lying and where the white lights had burnt the grass. The old books called for the destruction of the tree from where a wand is chosen, to prevent an enemy from using the wand wood against a wizard or witch.

" _Incendio_!" Beams of red shot out of the wand and flames, taller, brighter, and hotter than she had ever seen before, engulfed that tree. The tip of that wand glowed a bright red. She screamed as the heat emanated from the wand and burnt her hands. The wand dropped out of her hand. She stepped back a few feet away from where it fell.

Looking at her hands, Bellatrix was relieved that they were unharmed. She cautiously approached the wand. She first touched it with just one finger. Satisfied that it was not harmful, she picked it up carefully and dropped it into her enchanted pouch.

Unsure of what had happened, she walked back towards the rigid form of Darcy who stood exactly where she had left him before she had embarked on the journey to the now burning tree.

"Come Darcy," she said nonchalantly, "Let us leave this place. Your dear wife must be waiting for us."

They walked off. The glow of the burning wood growing brighter and angrier in the distance.


End file.
